


My Leo, Don't You Worry (This Cold World Is Not For You)

by DrifterWriter



Series: Leo and Ney [4]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Cheesy, Fluff, M/M, Ney is a marshmallow, SO MUCH FLUFF, This might just be the cutest thing I've written, coffee shop!AU, happiness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-07-29 20:42:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7698730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrifterWriter/pseuds/DrifterWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a good life.</p><p>Neymar doesn't want it to change.</p><p>He wants to wake up at five every morning to decorate the coffee shop. He wants to go to university and study his favourite subjects. He wants to see his friends' smiles when he comes back, wants to flirt harmlessly with the regular customers. He wants to make the best coffee in the world standing next to Geri and study biochemistry with Mats close to him. He wants to teach Denis all the football tricks he knows. He wants to spend an hour every evening with Luis' daughter when she comes over to ask for help with her homework. He wants to walk through the night with Rafinha until he's about to collapse.</p><p>Yes, Neymar doesn't want to change a thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Leo, Don't You Worry (This Cold World Is Not For You)

**Author's Note:**

> For Nattie. Miss you and your coffee. Wish you weren't continents away, training to become someone I'm proud of. 
> 
> Love you. 
> 
> Title from 'Lazarus' by Porcupine Tree, the David changed to Leo. The song is brilliant. Go listen to it while you read.

Even on his days off, Neymar likes going to work.

The coffee shop at which he works, _La Lune de Cacao_ (an odd name, considering its in the middle of Barcelona, but the customers claim to like it) is pretty much his home.

It smells like love and coffee, and sounds and looks like the way Neymar sees life; always busy, always happy, simple and fun, loud and cheery, rosy. It's part of why he loves spending his waking hours here-- if Neymar was a coffee shop, he'd be _La Cacao_.

Everyone is his friend here, and they all see him, one of the youngest, as a little brother, someone to tease, someone to protect, someone to be there for. Neymar doesn't mind. He'd never had much of a family before he moved to Barcelona, but he's built one here.

Nobody minds, either. Everybody loves Neymar just as much as Neymar loves them. _It's impossible not to like Neymar,_ he overheard Luis saying to Andrés, who hums in agreement, one day. _The world becomes brighter when he's around._

Nobody minds.

In fact, the owner of the shop, Masche, doesn't even bring up Neymar's lateness on days that he misses the bus from Uni because his teacher kept him too long, instead pressing a cup of coffee that's on the house into the younger man's hands and telling him to catch his breath. Geri, who covers for him without a word of protest whenever he's late, winks at him and ruffles his hair as Neymar gives him a hug.

"Careful, Junior!" Geri laughs, as the coffee in Neymar's cup dances precariously when the latter squeezes his ribs in unsaid thanks, all dimples and smiles.

Everyday, Neymar studies between shifts and whenever his friends offer to cover for him (which is often), sitting down on a tiny table-for-two tucked away in the far end of the coffee shop, highlighters of different colours clamped between his teeth as he pores over biochemistry textbooks, letting the world fade slowly until the only pieces of reality are the soft strains of Luis' well-chosen romantic songs and the occasional murmurs from neighbouring tables and the words on the pages searing themselves into his quick mind.

Sometimes Marc-André comes to sit with him, silent and careful not to disturb his friend, occasionally reading a book, nudging him gently when Masche apologetically tells him that Neymar's overstayed his break.

But nobody minds, because Neymar comes to work even on the days he's not supposed to, arriving early so that he can decorate the shop in typical Neymar-fashion (romantic and fluffy) before the customers start to arrive. He's the only employee who has the spare key to the place, becuase Masche jokes that Neymar should never be locked out of his own house.

So that's okay.

On the days that Neymar is too tired to walk back home after work, exhausted and torn between between tiring classes and constantly serving customers, Rafinha lets him crash at his place, which is much closer, allowing a very sleepy Neymar to lean on his shoulder as they walk the streets of Barcelona drowsily.

It's a good life.

Neymar doesn't want it to change.

He wants to wake up at five every morning to decorate the coffee shop. He wants to go to university and study his favourite subjects. He wants to see his friends' smiles when he comes back, wants to flirt harmlessly with the regular customers. He wants to make the best coffee in the world standing next to Geri and study biochemistry with Mats close to him. He wants to teach Denis all the football tricks he knows. He wants to spend an hour every evening with Luis' daughter when she comes over to ask for help with her homework. He wants to walk through the night with Rafinha until he's about to collapse.

Yes, Neymar doesn't want to change a thing.

*

Rainy days in Barcelona are rare.

It's usually a sunny place, so all the residents are ill-prepared for the sudden downpour that washes the city out. Street vendors hurriedly wheel their carts to relative shelter while mothers usher their children into shops, trying to keep them from catching colds. As it continues to rain, people disappear from the streets, peeking out from behind closed windows. Children stare out of misted glass wonderingly, looking at the drops of water hit the pavement.

The droplets feel like pinpricks of needles and the cold wind like a knife as Neymar dashes into La Cacao the moment he disembarks from the bus, holding his books protectively to his chest, getting thoroughly wet anyway. He sighs in sheer relief as he enters, the cosy warmth from the busy little coffee shop defrosting his bones as he shivers. He shakes his head experimentally, ignoring Masche's agonised yells of "Ney!" as he sprays droplets of rainwater all over the customers, who laugh- most of them are regulars, they're used to Neymar's antics- and playfully swat him away.

Denis takes his jacket and lays it out by the fire to dry, while Rafinha surges forward with a steaming mug of hot chocolate and a double chocochip cookie, earning a Ney-Smile in return.

"I can cover for you till you get dry," Geri threatens good-naturedly as Neymar saunters over to the counter, giving him a bright smile. "Not a minute longer."

Neymar nods, very thoughtfully not hugging him because he's drenched. "Thanks, Geri."

"No worries, kid."

He gets changed into Rafa's spare clothes at the back of the shop, towelling his hair dry with his hand before he walks back out. Where rain dampens some moods, today it's lifts Neymar's even further if possible. He switches with Geri and begins to take orders in rapid succession, each exchange of bills paired with a brilliant white smile.

"You haven't been around in forever, Mandy!" He accuses a regular playfully. Or, "Did you try our new chocolate muffin, David? No?! Okay, wait, here you go. Never mind that, it's on the house."

Denis comes over to sit on the stool next to him, making his presence superbly useless while Neymar flies around like a hurricane, taking customers order and making coffee and finding change-- but who is Ney to complain, he loves having this kid around.

Though there are plenty of customers inside, the stream of people coming into the shop slowly trickles to a halt when the rain doesn't relent. Neymar ends up playing Rock Paper Scissors with Denis, and when they get bored, they choose to stare at the gale outside thought the large windows of the shop, singing their favourite songs softly.

The door flies open.

Everybody turns to look.

A young man holding a backpack hurries inside and firmly closes the door behind him, closing his eyes in relief and leaning against the frame when the heat from the shop hits him.

Neymar is the first to move. Without really thinking about what he's doing, he hurries over to the man, who looks at him, surprised.

"Hey!" Neymar starts, making effortless conversation, as he has a talent for doing. "You okay? The storm is pretty bad outside, you must be drenched!"

The man nods after a second, grateful for the attention. He's quite a bit shorter than Neymar (though he isn't very tall himself) and has a mop of dark hair which drips rainwater onto Masche's precious carpet. He looks fit and has a sweet smile, which he offers Neymar now.

What gets to Neymar, though, are his eyes.

His eyes look like melted chocolate and dark coffee beans. They look like Lindt's best smashed into one rich, hypnotic array. They look like Hershey's Kisses blended into a melodic arrangement. They look like Belgian ice cream and Dairy Milk poured into two irises.

Neymar, as a connoisseur of chocolate and coffee, is pretty much blown away.

"I'm kinda drenched, yes," the man says, his voice soft and lilting.

"Uh," Neymar says intelligently. Then he mentally facepalms himself. "Let me take your jacket, uh-"

"Leo." The man extends his free hand and shakes Neymar's, then proceeding to take his jacket off. "Thanks, um-?"

"Neymar," he offers, taking the sopping jacket.

"Well, Leo, why don't you go sit by the fire?" Neymar offered him his best smile, adding, "I'll be with you in a minute."

**Author's Note:**

> More fluff coming up!
> 
> As always, appreciation is appreciated.


End file.
